A local chance to "see" the world

At breakfast this morning, my kids were clamoring over each other to talk about what they had learned last night. Where had they been? A missions conference.

Stephanie Ziebarth

At breakfast this morning, my kids were clamoring over each other to talk about what they had learned last night. Where had they been? A missions conference.

Missions conferences are often described as things of the past. Many people do not rank them high on their priority lists. Yet there are churches that do them really well.

The one we attended Thursday and Friday was at Otterbein United Brethren in ChristChurch (http://greencastleub.org/) at the intersection of Leitersburg and South Allison Streets in Greencastle. This church continues to hold a missions conference the first Wednesday night through the following Sunday night in March each year.

They have developed long-term relationships with the missionaries who visit, so it’s like people are greeting old friends, and are anxious to hear updates not only on their ministries, but on their families. One of the speakers from last night is a missionary in Portugal. He showed photos of his family when they departed for Portugal over 20 years ago, which then included his young bride and two young children. Then he showed pictures of his six adult children, three of whom are getting married this year. People sitting in the sanctuary had known them through though that entire time period.

He was one of the speakers who told stories that fascinated my children. This morning my younger children described bull-fighting in Portugal, and both my daughter and my son clearly remembered the details.

Another missionary captivated the children through puppetry and various stories and gadgets. My son said some of the children were wondering aloud how the puppets work, “because Mr. Salisbury is really good with the puppets. He hardly moves his mouth at all.”

My older daughter listened with the youth group to a young missionary from Paraguay, who demonstrated with a pitcher and some cups what it’s like to receive something from God and pour it into others.

People lingered well after the service, asking questions of the missionaries, learning how to write their name in Russian, making plans to meet at Mikie’s (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikies-Ice-Cream-Green-Cow-Gift-Shop/113501865349933) for ice cream.

The bottom line for families is probably in how you approach it. Do you want your kids to have a world vision? Do you want them to be excited to learn about other places and cultures, and how God is working around the world? If so, take the time to attend a local missions conference. And go with an eager attitude to learn. With some good modeling, we can raise children who will have a vision for a world beyond their little corner of it.

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA ~ 30 Walnut St. Waynesboro, PA 17268 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service